NEARI executive director Robert Walsh declined to provide a copy of the poll. But during a taping this afternoon of a special one-hour pension show (set for broadcast on RIPR at 7 this evening), Walsh discussed it.

Walsh says the poll conducted by Abacus Associates of Massachusetts shows Robitaille with 30 percent of the vote, compared with 28 percent for Chafee, and 22 percent for Raimondo.

The Robitaille-Chafee finding is bound to be within the poll’s margin of error (typically 4 to 4.5 percent). And it’s not a huge surprise, considering how Chafee narrowly beat Robitaille, 36 percent to 34 percent, in last year’s governor’s race.

Walsh says his point in presenting the information is that, in his view, voters prefer a real Republican over Democrats who act like one. The teachers’ union chief says he considers Raimondo a DINO — a pejorative acronym meaning “Democrat in Name Only.” (Raimondo has consistently argued that the pension overhaul law passed last week was necessary to preserve and strengthen the state retirement system.)

Despite his critique of Raimondo, Walsh indicated he’s not prepared to vote for Robitaille should he run for the governor’s office again.

Also joining myself and Scott MacKay during the one-hour pension show were House Speaker Gordon Fox; Senate President Teresa Paiva Weed; Richard Licht, director of the state Department of Administration; and URI political science professor Maureen Moakley. Tune in tonight at 7.

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Not only is Ms. Raimondo a DINO but so are Paiva-Weed, and Fox. Democrats who so openly abandon the working class in favor of big business; blindly align themselves with an advocacy group who could very well be tied to the Koch brothers, Wall St., or other special interests, and then shamelessly turn their back on their constituents do not abide by the philosophy of the Democratic party. I have been a life long Democrat but now I have declared myself to be Independent. In fact, in the upcoming elections, I will not vote “for” anyone but “against” those who callously voted in favor of the pension reform. There was a better way! The politicians are out of touch with the people and in tune with the corporate world. Shame on them.

Yet more maturity from the so called union leadership in this state. Love it!
BTW this is Bob Walsh making these claims so until we all see the actual poll with the actual polling questions I wouldn’t put any stock in Washie’s spin. We’ve seen the Walsh schtick before and it always comes with a stench.

Love the condemnation of Gina Raimondo from you so called Democrats. Would love to see her run for a higher office. She’ll get lots of party votes because many traditional Democrats are sick and tired of the loony left wing of the party as well as the Bob Walsh/George Nee crowd running this place into the ground.
Gina Raimondo is a Jack Kennedy Democrat. She hasn’t lost her way. you’ve lost yours.

“Love the condemnation of Gina Raimondo from you so called Democrats.”

“So-called”?? I’ve been a Democrat for my entire life, and Dems don’t stick it to middle class people the way Mrs. Raimondo just did with pension “reform”. She’s just acting in the so-called “best interests” of her big money colleagues in “Engage RI”.

“She’ll get lots of party votes because many traditional Democrats are sick and tired of the loony left wing of the party”